Recently, underground Mid Cheshire punks KICKED IN THE TEETH released their third album Watling Street Chambers.
I must say, KICKED IN THE TEETH certainly understand the punk genre with short, fast tracks, angry lyrics and repetitive melodies. The issue I’ve found is, maybe they got a little too repetitive with their album as I found it hard to distinguish which track was which.
There were a few things that stood out, the odd guitar solo like in Death of Me and Lightning Tree. I quite enjoyed Werewolves. It teased me with static to begin with, the lyrics were distinguishable, and the melody changed throughout parts of the song, breaking them up nicely. It’s a song that I’ve felt time and effort has been put into and is what I would look for in the other tracks.
I understand punk isn’t the most artistic genre. It can be repetitive and tends to be messy and distorted. It’s characterised as angry and loud. Having listened to this album and then gone and listened to a little more. It all sounds too similar, and I feel like KICKED IN THE TEETH need to dedicate more time into thinking about what message they’re wanting to portray, and what the most effective way to spread that message is.
Watling Street Chambers is out now. It may not be for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s not for you. KICKED IN THE TEETH are playing various shows around the country soon, have a look! They might be a vibe live.
